Posted on 25 January 2012 by Bohol Philippines

by Angeline Valencia
The national highway along the landslide section in Sitio Liloan of Poblacion, Cortes has been closed starting January 17 while the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) undertakes the over P12-million long-term engineering interventions in the area for 120-150 days.

Engr. Ester Calacat of the DPWH on Tuesday said the contractor started with the excavation on the slope.

Governor Edgar Chatto and Provincial Administrator Alfonso Damalerio II had been pushing for the engineering interventions as long-term solution to the series of landslides in the area, that occurred at least three times during the rainy days in the first three months of 2011.

Upon the request of the local government unit of Cortes–the next from here, the engineering works commenced on January 17 right after the town fiesta celebration last Sunday.

Calacat said project contractor CCM Construction started bulldozing the upper portion to convert the cliff into a slope of safe angle.

“It would take time. After bulldozing the area to convert the cliff into a slope, we will widen the roadside and construct a seven-meter-high rip-rap. Then we will put coco net at the upper portion and we will plant bertiver plants to hold the soil in place,” Calacat explained.

She said the bertiver plant resembles a lemon grass but with more penetrating roots, thus, recommended to hold the soil and prevent landslide in the slope.

Calacat estimated the entire project would take 120 calendar days, but Engr. Duran of CCM Construction explained that it would take them 150 days to finish the project.

While bulldozing is ongoing, Calacat said the traffic has been re-routed to the SIP road which is at the other side of the elevation to keep motorists and travelling public safe by skipping the portion of the national highway where the land mass fell during the landslide.